Integration of real time and satellite water quality monitoring systems: case study Lake Manzalah, Egypt

• Main Author: Ibrahim, Mohamed Darwish
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2011
• Subjects: Nash; Newfoundland; Sutcliffe
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/10714/; https://research.library.mun.ca/10714/1/Ibrahim_MohamedD.pdf

Water quality monitoring is one of the corner stones of water resources management. Monitoring water quality using a Real Time Water Quality (RTWQ) monitoring approach provides high temporal resolution measurements, while monitoring through the use of satellite imagery produced high spatial resolution maps for the monitored water parameters. By combining approaches, RTWQ and satellite, high temporal and spatial resolution products can be obtained. The integration was done through developing statistical relationships between the extracted reflectances from the satellite imagery and measured real time water quality parameters in the field. -- Lake Manzalah, the largest of the northern lakes in Egypt, was used as a case study for the proposed combined approach. The water quality parameters investigated were Turbidity (TUR), Chlorophyll-a (CHL), and Total Dissolved Solid (TDS). The results showed that there were statistically significant regression relationships between the satellite reflectance and the measured water quality parameters with r² = 0.77, n= 34; 0.65, n= 33; and 0.60, n- 56 for TUR, CHL, and TDS models, respectively. The corresponding Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients were 0.76, 0.64, and 0.61 for TUR, CHL, and TDS models, respectively. The results indicate the viability of using satellite reflectances to infer the state of the water quality in Lake Manzalah. The relationship between RTWQ measurements and satellite observations were subsequently used to generate other useful quantitative water quality products. This research has the potential for application to other large water bodies in Newfoundland and Labrador and internationally.